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Howard County Pride is kicking off their celebration of LGBTQIA+ culture with an event this morning at Colorburst Park in the Merriweather District. As you know, Howard County’s official celebration of Pride is held at Merriweather Park in Symphony Woods in October, to coincide with LGBTQIA+ History Month. 

Image from Howard County Pride website


This morning’s event begins at nine thirty and runs until 1:00. There will be plenty of fun, family-oriented activities plus the announcements of the winner of the K-12 Art Contest for HoCo Pride Festival in October and Hoco Pride Community Awards.



They’re encouraging folks to patronize area businesses in the Merriweather District, some of whom have provided some incentives to support HoCo Pride. To learn more, visit the HoCo Pride Facebook page.

I went to last year's event (and wrote about it) and I’d like to give a shoutout to the planners of this year’s event for choosing a morning time slot this time. 

Last night I went with my family to a HoCo Pride event held at Color Burst Park in the Merriweather District. It was the first time we had been there and I ought to be able to give you some kind of decent description but I can’t.  It was so, so hot that my brain went into survival mode. My apologies. I can say that drinking fountains or those cool, newfangled contraptions that allow one to refill their water bottles would have been welcome.  - - HoCo Pride Braves the Heat, Village Green/Town², June 26, 2023

A morning event in that space is bound to be cooler! Smart move.

I noticed that they have one of those Eventbrite free registration links but I don’t think they’ll be checking registration at the site. Something I do want to call your attention to:



Note the highlighted part on the registration page. 

There is an event at Merriweather at noon. It is recommended to come early to find parking.

Friends, they are not kidding. Last year there was a similar overlap with MPP and parking was…a struggle. If you think I’m exaggerating, may I present Exhibit A: a post from Downtown restaurants Cured/18th & 21st:

At long last, concert season at Merriweather Post Pavilion kicks off this weekend! But, that means coming to dine with us can get a little hectic. That's why we put together some helpful tips on getting here and getting parking in the garage.

https://bit.ly/3xUFVoq

The Merriweather District’s proximity to MPP is, of course, entirely on purpose. The fact that a nearby restaurant is offering helpful parking information for patrons suggests to me that there may be times when the location is less than convenient. A tip of the hat to Cured for getting this helpful information out there.

I’m hoping that a morning time frame will make it far easier for folks to access Colorburst Park and enjoy the event, but, I thought I should clue you in if you haven’t been there during concert season.

Alas, I’m not available this morning. If you go, I’d love to know all about it. The good folks of Howard County Pride do an amazing job providing support, community education, and advocacy for LGBTQIA+ individuals and families in Howard County.


Village Green/Town² Comments 



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